Mac Tools Warranty Experience.

[Hiball]

Well first let me say that I dont buy Mac Tools anymore and i havent purchased any New Stuff for over 15 years. I did have a Mac Torx set that has been good to me over the years, but they where getting extremely worn on the business end. I called customer service and explained the sitsuation and they told me to send the whole set it to them, I was a bit leary of doing that and asked if there new bits would work on my set and he didnt know so i sent the whole set in, including the case. Well this morning (aprox 7 business days) i receive a package from Fed ex and i notice its marked MAC.. Just like a kid on Christmas morning i rip open my package and the first thing i see is Made in Taiwan... ****.. Well before this gets into a ******* match, Let me first say that i havent used them yet and they may be just as good as what i sent in. I am dissapointed that i sent in my US set and received these but im happy with the quick turnaround service. NOW... I have a question.. Im not sure if they sent me back the exact replacement as i sent in a Torx set and these appear to be a different type, Not sure how to explain it but the edges are Round instead of Sharp compared to what a typical torx (in my mind). The box says Torx + and when i first read the box i thought these would have the hole in the end but they are solid. Are these for some new application that im not aware of? Anyway here are some pics... Oh and the Plastic Box, It has the worst smell ive ever encountered.. Im sure its giving me Cancer as i type.

 

[arkangel06]

Torx+ will not work with regular torx you will have to send it back.

Request they send you back your USA set buy snap on and put this all behind you.

 

[shotgunfatcat]

***** you got Taiwan stuff, but what did you expect?

From the Wiha site.
"Torx Plus tools do not work well in standard TORX Head Screws"
Standard Torx Tools will work in Torx Plus Screws but with a poor fit.
Wiha Recommends using only TORX Plus Tools in Torx Plus Fasteners

 

[mrholeshot]

That *****!!!!!

 

[Hiball]

Torx+ will not work with regular torx you will have to send it back.

Request they send you back your USA set buy snap on and put this all behind you.

I actually have a complete set of Torx sockets from Snap on, Mainly stuff ive picked up here and off ebay. So as unfortunate as it is to exchange the Poor fitting set that sent in for a Import. If this is a different application i will look at is as a New tool. The worst thing about this whole sitsuation is this stinking *** box. Im curious to if these are made by the same company that makes cornwells? Oh and are Torx + a common style on New cars?

***** you got Taiwan stuff, but what did you expect?

From the Wiha site.
"Torx Plus tools do not work well in standard TORX Head Screws"
Standard Torx Tools will work in Torx Plus Screws but with a poor fit.
Wiha Recommends using only TORX Plus Tools in Torx Plus Fasteners

Well Im not well versed in Mac tools as i stated i havent made any purchases for many years but i was under the assumption that they still make some Tools here in the states. I guess maybe i should have checked there website.

http://www.mactools.com/Product/tabid/120/productid/320219/variantid/310978/Default.aspx

 

[shotgunfatcat]

Well Im not well versed in Mac tools as i stated i havent made any purchases for many years but i was under the assumption that they still make some Tools here in the states. I guess maybe i should have checked there website.
]

It is a good thing it says on their site......

 

[arkangel06]

It is a good thing it says on their site......

At least they dont lie like other truck brands.....

 

[Hiball]

At least they dont lie like other truck brands.....

It actually doesnt say on there site, The Price alone would have gave me some insight though. The snap on set is 3x's as High.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=59277&group_ID=14539&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[SMKS]

I recently had a similar experience with Stanley. I sent in a 15mm and 16mm wrench and in return I got 2 16mm wrenches. I called and the super rude lady said I hadn't included a sheet listing the part numbers of the items I sent in, which I had done. She said she would send me a 15mm, but we'll see if that happens.

 

[mooman]

Looks like they need to send you the STP13B set for standard Torx.
I'd call them and get that resolved.
As for the COO, that is what it is.........
I sent in an old 3/8" breaker bar and got a new "Made in U.S.A" breaker bar as a replacement from MAC. So, they still do make somethings here, just not sure.
As long as you have a complete Snap On set, you should be good to go with that set and sell the MAC set once you recieve the replacement.

 

[Skyline]

There are two REALLY bad things here:

First, this is a mainstay hard-line tool....made in Taiwan. It's one thing to have a ratchet wrench or specialty pliers Chinese made...but when sockets get made there, it's all over.

Second, they may as well have pulled the warantee on all their existing USA made sockets. If you break or loose one...you get a Chinese replacement. In other words, you're screwed.

From now on, at least in my mind, the resale value of MAC products is going to be very much diminished. I will have to be really carefull when I buy tool collections with a lot of MAC stuff.

 

[arkangel06]

It actually doesnt say on there site, The Price alone would have gave me some insight though. The snap on set is 3x's as High.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=59277&group_ID=14539&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

Damn I thought it did

 

[kythri]

But I thought TopTul was every bit the quality of the truck brands (at least listening here) - including their sockets, which got rave reviews...

If TopTul can be ever-so-awesome and made in Taiwan, why can't Mac Tools?

 

[Hiball]

But I thought TopTul was every bit the quality of the truck brands (at least listening here) - including their sockets, which got rave reviews...

If TopTul can be ever-so-awesome and made in Taiwan, why can't Mac Tools?

Im not saying that there not, But.... I know that i gave upwards to $200 bucks for the original set 15+ years ago and i feel a little slighted in the recent warranty replacement. I was relatively happy in the performance as i didnt use my torx everyday but i definitely felt they gave me good use. I know there are plenty of stories in regards to toptul, Cornwell as far as Torx, Allen etc. Again.. I happy they stood behind there warranty but not in the direction they are headed.

 

[Ser50]

i stopped buying mac my first year in trades.

i had purchased a number of tools from my MAC driver in a sort of estate sale from a customer who passed away, the wife sold his entire lot to our MAC guy. lots of good deals, or so i thought.
i picked up a set of offset ratcheting wrenches. they were pretty worn, but they were cheap and i figured i could warranty them.
couple months in i do just that with my 3/4-11/16 (or something like that)
my driver takes it, i wait, i wait, i wait.
he comes back in later saying 'MAC doesnt make these any more, heres one from the manufacturer that made them for MAC'
he hands me a Kerstarr? ratchet, cool, whatever, doesnt match, but what can you do? its brand new, i got my warranty. i move on.

couple more months go buy, i warranty the 9/16-5/8, i wait, i wait, i wait. my driver comes in with a brand new MAC one and hands it to me.

thats it. this is all getting too weird. it was my final straw on MAC. it stopped being worth the savings for the hassle. im a busy man.

 

[Ser50]

Oh and are Torx + a common style on New cars?

i dont know. but they look an awful lot like the german sockets we use on our Voith transmission. i have always wondered what type they actually are. ours are made by stalwhille (spelling?)

germans have been known to use every strange internal fastener they can imagine.

 

[gardner59]

One other thing that points to trouble is the picture you posted. Look at the wording. It says "Star +" Not even Torx® +. Kind of points to the fact that whoever made these is not licensed to us the "Torx" name! Thus, they don't necessarily have to meet the standards for Torx! Bummer!

 

[shotgunfatcat]

I am sure they will be fine, if you have a snap-on set already, either hold on to em in case you ever run into a + screw, or sell them. If you keep them, put em on a rail and be done with the packaging.

 

[Hiball]

i dont know. but they look an awful lot like the german sockets we use on our Voith transmission. i have always wondered what type they actually are. ours are made by stalwhille (spelling?)

germans have been known to use every strange internal fastener they can imagine.

Reading the Snap on description it appears they are very common in 99 and up vehicles.

TORX® Plus fasteners may be found in almost all vehicles from the 1999 model year to present. Common applications include GM transmission bell housing bolts and Ford seat belt anchors. Use of a standard TORX® Driver on TORX® Plus fasteners may result in a rounded out fastener head or damaged driver.

One other thing that points to trouble is the picture you posted. Look at the wording. It says "Star +" Not even Torx® +. Kind of points to the fact that whoever made these is not licensed to us the "Torx" name! Thus, they don't necessarily have to meet the standards for Torx! Bummer!

If you go to the Mac link http://www.mactools.com/Product/tabid/120/productid/320219/variantid/310978/Default.aspx It has the Torx name included in the description.

I am sure they will be fine, if you have a snap-on set already, either hold on to em in case you ever run into a + screw, or sell them. If you keep them, put em on a rail and be done with the packaging.

Yeah, Im not gonna junk them. Im sure ill find a use for them someday, Honestly they feel well made with a great deal of heft to them. We'll see how things work out and if i have any problems ill post it up.

 

[wafrederick]

I never had a problem with getting a Mac tool replaced under warranty.Handed the Mac dealer that used to come around a badly worn out 6 point 15mm deepwell impact socket and a 12 point 12mm shallow impact socket which was badly worn out too replaced with no problem.Look at a new pair of Snap On diagnal wire cutters these days,made in China.GM does use Torx plus fastners,1998 and up 4L60Es are this way.8 of Torx plus fastners hold the bellhousing on using the T50 bit.

 

[MrMark]

Where do you get Snap-on diagonal cutters are made in China. I have 4 pair of brand new SO diagonal cutters 86CF 87CF 388CF and the ones with the 9 stamp (2009) are stamped USA. The ones with the o stamp (2010) do not carry a USA marking, but the website states USA. So where is your evidence that SO pliers are made in China?

 

[caper]

Highball,in the past I've had Mac send me the wrong tools for warranty and when I called to straighten it out they sent me the right tools and told me to keep the others as it wasn't worth their time to send me a shipping label to return them.Try it you may end up with two sets of taiwan sockets lol.

 

[MrMark]

That's what I would do Hiball. You are going to go a long time before you use those Torx Plus. I bought a set of Wiha Torx Plus bits for "just in case". For these "just in case" type of tools I would rather have the bit set and a bit holder.

I would essentially consider MAC as having no warranty. Too bad you couldn't have just replaced the bits and kept the quality US sockets.

 

[caper]

Look at a new pair of Snap On diagnal wire cutters these days,made in China.

Where do you get Snap-on diagonal cutters are made in China. the website states USA. So where is your evidence that SO pliers are made in China?

Either his dad,his uncle,his Matco dealer or some guy from carquest who saw a pair somewhere told him they were made in China so it's got to be true.Someday he'll actually make a statement from personal experience instead of what somebody somewhere told him.

 

[wafrederick]

Found out from the Matco dealer,one of his customers on his route showed him a pair,customer broke his old pair whom was handed one which is made in China

 

[caper]

Found out from the Matco dealer,one of his customers on his route showed him a pair,customer broke his old pair whom was handed one which is made in China

Bingo!Funny how the new pair I bought a couple months ago wasn't made in China.

 

[kythri]

Found out from the Matco dealer,one of his customers on his route showed him a pair,customer broke his old pair whom was handed one which is made in China

Dude.

If it didn't happen to you personally, it didn't happen, OK?

 

[MattT]

Found out from the Matco dealer,one of his customers on his route showed him a pair,customer broke his old pair whom was handed one which is made in China

Guy walks onto a Matco truck and looks at COO of the tools. Says "Ain't no way I'm paying that much for chiwanese tools. I'm buying Snappy."

Matco dealer replys "All the truck brands are chiwanese. A customer showed me his chiwanese Snap-on pliers".

 

[dumper]

are we talking about Mac customer service, or Matco, or are they both "not so good?" The reason I ask is I am looking at a Mac Tech 1000 roller cab, and all I read on this forum, including many searches, is that Mac *****! Not real encouraging.

 

[Hiball]

are we talking about Mac customer service, or Matco, or are they both "not so good?" The reason I ask is I am looking at a Mac Tech 1000 roller cab, and all I read on this forum, including many searches, is that Mac *****! Not real encouraging.

I dont think there is a real issue with either company, Im not real fond of the direction Mac has gone in regards to some of there tools but they did warranty my Torx sockets, Unfortunately they sent the wrong type back.

 

[wafrederick]

Matco dealer told me about this last week Friday.Anything made in China is junk.Most of the tool brands are cutting corners these days and this is not right.

 

[Hiball]

Matco dealer told me about this last week Friday.Anything made in China is junk.Most of the tool brands are cutting corners these days and this is not right.

I dont know what to say... but i feel like im losing brain cells.

 

[caper]

I dont know what to say... but i feel like im losing brain cells.

I hear ya!

 

[supertooljunkie]

But I thought TopTul was every bit the quality of the truck brands (at least listening here) - including their sockets, which got rave reviews...

If TopTul can be ever-so-awesome and made in Taiwan, why can't Mac Tools?

Because you can buy a nice socket set, complete, from TopTul for the same price as one or two separate sockets from MAC. Same COO, but, much more expensive for the MAC.
I like to support the truck brands, but for the price of the tools and the same COO, give me TopTul. Mike Wren is easier to deal with than MAC probably is anyway.

 

[SS5150]

I had a Tech 1000 roll cab, vintage about 1998, used it until 2006 when I traded into my Macsimizer. It was a real good box, but wore out some of the detents over time. Still, was a very good value for the money.

 

[Chadro]

Ok I'm sorry but the COO **** on this forum is getting to be absurd. I love buying American made tools and other items as much as the next guy, maybe more. The fact is, just because it's made in China or Taiwan doesn't mean it's cheap junk. Hell, I've had American made stuff thats cheap junk, should I stop buying American? Maybe Mac's tool plants overseas are outfitted with the latest and greatest machines and are using only top grade steel. Who knows? You all act like ying and yang are sitting around for .10 an hour poorly assembling each tool by hand. I'm sitting here on a great Asus computer which was made in Taiwan, most of those Apples people are so crazy about are made in China.

Just because HF Asian made tools are junk doesn't mean all of them are. If a Asian made Mac tool breaks, it's because it was an Asian *************. If an American made Snapon tool breaks, it was just a fluke. Give me a break.

I have a $1500 Japanese TV that was made in Mexico, great TV. Who cares?

 

[Hiball]

Ok I'm sorry but the COO **** on this forum is getting to be absurd. I love buying American made tools and other items as much as the next guy, maybe more. The fact is, just because it's made in China or Taiwan doesn't mean it's cheap junk. Hell, I've had American made stuff thats cheap junk, should I stop buying American? Maybe Mac's tool plants overseas are outfitted with the latest and greatest machines and are using only top grade steel. Who knows? You all act like ying and yang are sitting around for .10 an hour poorly assembling each tool by hand. I'm sitting here on a great Asus computer which was made in Taiwan, most of those Apples people are so crazy about are made in China.

Just because HF Asian made tools are junk doesn't mean all of them are. If a Asian made Mac tool breaks, it's because it was an Asian *************. If an American made Snapon tool breaks, it was just a fluke. Give me a break.

I have a $1500 Japanese TV that was made in Mexico, great TV. Who cares?

I dont think this thread has gotten to the point where we need to "Flip out" Its been fairly calm up until now. LOL.. I know i didnt bash them nor Mac's customer service.

 

[scott37300]

Matco dealer told me about this last week Friday.Anything made in China is junk.Most of the tool brands are cutting corners these days and this is not right.

I don't usually get involved in these COO talks, I am not a pro so I buy what I can afford. I have snap on, mac, matco, craftsman, and some HF stuff for the things that don't get used much. I am an american and try to buy american when I can, but that is getting harder and harder to do these days. I try to buy the best quality I can afford, obviously can't justify spending thousands of dollars on something like a tool box when I don't make money with my tools. But I also try not to buy total junk because I learned at a young age that cheap junk means you will eventially be spending the money again when it breaks.

But I have read a few posts by wafrederick in the past week that just sound like he is bashing snap on and trying to start an arguement, not really contributing anything but just throwing out hear-say comments. If I read something on facebook I would check on it before using it for an arguement. Or if a certain brand tool truck owner was bashing another brand I would take his words with a grain of salt because obviously he is there to make money and get you to buy his tools over the other brand, wouldn't make sense for him to promote his competition. But a simple search for yourself would show that snap on still shows COO as USA for the pliers. This doesn't mean that snap isn't lying but I would believe thier website over some tool truck driver that is competing for business against snap on.

 

[Chadro]

I dont think this thread has gotten to the point where we need to "Flip out" Its been fairly calm up until now. LOL.. I know i didnt bash them nor Mac's customer service.

I wasn't flipping out and I wasn't blaming you. Seeing COO in every thread gets old. Not blaming you, you traded in US for Taiwan, I wouldn't be pleased either. Let us know how they do.

 

[Hiball]

I wasn't flipping out and I wasn't blaming you. Seeing COO in every thread gets old. Not blaming you, you traded in US for Taiwan, I wouldn't be pleased either. Let us know how they do.

Will do, I actually called Mac this afternoon and they are gonna send out the Torx set along with a label to ship the Torx + back. Im gonna put them in my truck box as the small case is handy and it will keep things organized. I will keep everyone informed on there performance.